Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-04-22
sELECrIN8 FfREH KN.

The Rigid Tests to which Candidates are rut
In New York City.
Some suggestions for the selection OF men
for our local fire department might be taken
from the methods followed in New York.
All candidates for positions as iiremen are
required to pass rigid physical exsmina.
ton. First their grip is tested with a stout
spring bent like narrow letter L, the ar.
plicant grssping the horns first with one
hand and then with the other and an indi.
Gator attached recording the number Of
pounds pressure. In Q recent examination
several men squeezed the indicator to 80
pounds. They are them required to raise
dumbells to the shoulder and square above
1t, so pounds for the right hand and Is for
the left To test the eXtensors OF the legs,
the candidates sat down on q plank with
their backs against post and kicked against
. spring.
ing, except the one in the act, was walk ing
on the edge of an inch plank set q foot above
the floor. The plank was thirty feet long,
and q man to get a perfect mark had to walk
the length OF 1t steadily and quickly. Only
four did it well the rest pitched and plunged
of Chief Bonner said it was good thing
for a fireman to bs able to walk such a thing
as that for he never could tell when he might
want to walk path not much wider 100 feet
above the ground.
Candidates were then required to climb
poles " while the examiner timed them. Alter
| the pole climbing the young men were set 10
travelling along under a seventy foot horizon.
| tai ladder, swinging from round to round by
| the bands Two.thir of the way from the
| end OF the journey they found q round miss.
| ing, and the frantic efforts OF some of the
tired ones TO swing over that space were
| amusing to the rest No. Q, a slender youns
man, began to show signs OF failure before ht
had gone ten feet along the ladder. He hac
to struggle to reach from one round to thu
next, and the others were quite sure h
would fail before reaching even I,
the missing round. But il he hadn'
| much muscle he had grit and he kept or
The man who followed him overlook him
| and had to wait Reaching the open spac
No. hesitated, swung his teet and resche,
| for the round and missed entirely. The spec
tators felt sorry for him, but he wasn't givin
| up lust yet Another prodigious effort Wa
| made, and the tips OF his fingers Just touche,
| the coveted round. Then he caught q ne1
| hold Of his round, and with the sweat run
| ming down his cheeks swung himself la.
| effort and got there. Professor Greener sal
| that the young mans grit was worth more /
fireman than the muscle OF the best Of then
, | and Chief Bonner ::assented. No. Q may
| pretty sure OF getting on the force.
, The last test WAS the rescue act o.
!. stretched himself out on a mattress on b
= face as limp as possible, while another stro
i to pick him up to carry him away, as II r.
q | cuing q sutfocated man from a burnii
q | building. "A limp carcass OF LOO pound
A | weight Is no easy burden to handle, as 4
| candidates learned. Professor W ood show,
!. them how to do It Kueeling at the be-
u of the supposed victim, the candidate rsis'
!. | up the victims head and worked his ov
r | head in under the victims chest from right
!, LETT, until he got 1t out under the victims /,
O armpt Then he grssped the victims II
:, wrist with his own right band and the v
. TINS right leg with his own left hand, al
thus with the victim over his left shouldt
head down behind, strove to rise and Wa
8 away. Nearly all succeeded.